From the LCNRD

Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District will receive $132,425 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the “Bow Creek Watershed Project.”

The Trust Board announced funding for the project at its meeting on June 11, 2020 in Lincoln. This is the first year of award with a potential for 2nd and 3rd year funding totaling $85,195 and $44,345 respectively. The project is one of the 118 projects receiving $20,000,000 in grant awards from the Nebraska Environmental Trust this year. Of these, 73 were new applications and 45 are carry-over projects.

Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District, and partners are implementing a Water Quality Management Plan to protect and improve water resources in the Bow Creek Watershed. Four stream segments of Bow Creek are presently on Nebraska’s impaired waterbodies list - three for E. coli bacteria and one for both E. coli and Aquatic Life Use.  The primary contaminant sources include cattle operations, manure application and land treatment. Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation will be promoted through incentive payments to producers establishing conservation practices on agricultural and urban land, and within stream corridors.  A Watershed Coordinator has been invited to educate stakeholders about stream impairments, the importance of protecting water resources, and to develop programs to address impairments. 

Interviews to evaluate agricultural and economic perceptions of producers in the watershed will be conducted to better understand how cropping decisions are made and applied. A producer-based and mentor-led learning network will be created to share experiences, both “good and not-so-good”, to enhance agronomic, environmental and social impacts of crop production while increasing potential profitability and long-term success of cropping and conservation practices. Field-scale demonstration sites will be implemented that will employ the Soil Health Management Systems approach (diverse crop rotations vs. corn/soybean rotation) and will be supported by soil/water analysis.